Gurgaon: A portion of Sohna Highway caved in on Wednesday, for the sixth time since 2023. The cave-in formed a pit about 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep, metres away from the site where a similar collapse happened in June last year. After securing the affected area with barricades, NHAI officials said any further action will be taken in coordination with GMDA.Recurring cave-ins on this stretch have been linked to a 1,800mm damaged master sewer line running beneath the highway. While the sewer network was officially handed over to GMDA in 2022, the master pipeline has not undergone full rehabilitation.A rehabilitation of the sewer line using cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) technology was first proposed in 2017 by HUDA (now Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran), at an estimated cost of Rs 28.75 crore. The plan also included laying a 900mm line from Subhash Chowk towards Sector 48 and strengthening manholes. NHAI was supposed to execute the work under HUDA’s supervision.However, during road widening and administrative transition from HUDA to GMDA, the project was scaled down to only strengthening manholes, a task NHAI claims to have completed. Meanwhile, rehabilitation of the main pipeline remained unaddressed.Since Dec 2023, multiple sinkholes have emerged along this corridor, exposing the fragility of the sewer infrastructure. Incidents were reported in Dec 2023, July 2024 and May 2025, including a 12-foot-deep pit near Sispal Vihar caused by a collapsed sewer line and chamber. On June 30 last year, another sinkhole — about two metres wide and six metres deep — appeared on the same stretch. A smaller cave-in on June 18 also forced authorities to shut nearly one-and-a-half lanes as a precaution.After prolonged blame-shifting between agencies, it was eventually decided that NHAI would undertake full rehabilitation of the sewer line using CIPP technology at Rs 68 crore. However, the work is yet to start.“We are getting it approved internally,” a senior NHAI official said.Despite frequent cave-ins and assurances of repair work, the lack of execution has made residents question the risks they have to brave while commuting on this key arterial road, especially during monsoon.“It has become extremely risky for commuters to use this stretch, especially since the elevated section caters to heavy traffic movement. The repair work carried out in the past clearly hasn’t solved the problem. In fact, the damage seems to be getting worse with each incident. We are worried that if this continues, it could lead to a major accident. Fortunately, no one was hurt this time, but it easily could have been a serious tragedy,” said Vijay Shiv Nath, chairman, Malibu RWA’s Federation.
